Dendrobates azureus is a species of poison dart frog found in the forests surrounded by the Sipaliwini savannah, which is located in southern Suriname and northern to central Brazil. Dendrobates azureus is widely known as the blue poison dart frog or by its Tirio Indian name, okopipi. Its species name comes from the fact that it is colored azure.

Physical description [edit]

D. azureus frogs coexist peacefully in captivity.

D. azureus is a medium-sized frog that weighs approximately 8 grams. It grows between 3 and 4.5 cm in length and has a typical lifespan of 4–6 years in the wild. Its bright blue skin serves as a warning to predators. Its color is also usually darker around its limbs and stomach. The glands of poisonous alkaloids located in the skin serve as a defense mechanism to potential predators. These poisons paralyze and sometimes kill the predator. The black spots are unique to each frog, serving as an identification tool. Each foot contains four toes which each have a flattened tip with a suction cup pad used for gripping. This species of frog is also identifiable by a hunch-backed posture.

Physical appearance also differs with the sex of the animal. Females are larger and about half a centimeter longer than males, but males have larger toes. The tips of the toes in females are round, while males have heart-shaped tips.

Tadpoles differ greatly in appearance from adults. They have a long tail, about 6 mm, with a total length of about 10 mm. They lack legs and have gills instead of lungs.

Behavior [edit]

(video) A Blue Poison Dart Frog suddenly snacks on something.

Dendrobates azureus

Dendrobates tinctorius is a mainland animal, but stays close to water sources. These frogs spend most of their awake time, during the day, hopping around in short leaps. They are very territorial and aggressive both towards their own species and others. To ward off intruders, they use a series of calls, chases, and wrestling, which usually occurs within the same sex.

Although poison dart frogs are known for their skin toxins, used on the tips of arrows or darts of natives, in reality only the species of the Phyllobates genus are used in this manner, although all poison dart frogs have some level of toxicity. In captivity, the frogs lose toxicity as a result of altered diets.

Reproduction [edit]

The blue poison dart frog breeds seasonally, usually during the months of February or March when it is rainy. To find mates, the males sit on a rock and produce quiet calls, which the females follows to track down the males. The females then physically fight over a male. The male takes the female to a quiet place by water, which becomes the site of the egg-laying. Once the eggs are laid the male will then cover them in his sperm to fertilise them, therefore fertilisation occurs externally.

Between five and ten offspring are produced, and eggs are laid in the male’s territory, which he defends. The male takes care of the eggs most of the time, but sometimes the female does, as well. The eggs hatch between 14 and 18 days, and after 10 to 12 weeks, the tadpoles are fully mature. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at two years of age. The expected lifespan of an average D. azureus is between four and six years in the wild, and about ten years in captivity.

Eating habits [edit]

Feeding on primarily insects, such as ants, flies, and caterpillars, the Dendrobates tinctorius is primarily an insectivore, but occasionally feeds on other arthropods, such as spiders. The mother provides unfertilized eggs for the tadpoles’ nutrition.

Captive care [edit]

The blue dart frog is very popular in captivity.^{[citation needed]} Besides being visually appealing, D. azureus is both hardy and easy to breed.^{[citation needed]} They are highly recommended for beginner hobbyists. However, they are somewhat aggressive frogs, and are best kept in pairs.

Like most captive dart frogs, they eat a staple diet of fruit flies, pinhead crickets, rice flour beetle larvae, and springtails.

References [edit]

• Reynolds et al. (2004). Dendrobates tinctorius. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable

Dendrobates tinctorius, also known by the common name dyeing dart frog, is a species of poison dart frog. It is the among the largest species, reaching lengths of 50 millimetres (2.0 in). This species is distributed throughout the eastern portion of the Guiana Shield, including parts of Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, and nearly all of French Guiana.

Poison

Like most species of the genus Dendrobates, D. tinctorius is a mildly toxic species of poison dart frog. It produces pumiliotoxins which the frog uses for self-defense. While pumiliotoxins are weaker than their derivative allopumiliotoxins and the batrachotoxins secreted by Phyllobates species, they are sufficiently toxic to discourage most animals from feeding on dendrobatids. In the case of D. tinctorius, the toxins cause pain, cramping and stiffness when the frogs are handled roughly. Due to the toxins of the frogs, animals that feed on D. tinctorius will typically learn to associate the bright colours of such frogs with the vile taste and pain that occurs after a frog is ingested. As it is such a variable species, different color morphs of tinctorius have varying degrees of toxicity.

Local tribes use D. tinctorius for decoration. Feathers are plucked from the back of young parrots and the frogs are rubbed on the parrots' exposed skin. When the feathers regrow, the toxin causes them to appear yellow or red rather than green. These altered feathers are highly prized by the indigenous tribes.

Description

Male Dendrobates tinctorius alanis climbing at the Zurich Zoo.

The dyeing poison dart frog is large for a poison dart frog, but may be smaller than Phyllobates terribilis and Ameerega trivittata. Many small forms of D. tinctorius reach 3.5 cm long; most morphs are in the area of 5 cm in length or slightly bigger; some of the larger morphs may exceed 7 cm, although large tinctorius are usually closer to 5.5 cm long. For some time it was thought that captive individuals were incapable of reaching the sizes of wild specimens; however later evidence suggested that the fact that captive individuals do not reach their maximum potential size may be due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. More recently, breeders have had success raising tinctorius to very large sizes.

Dendrobates tinctorius is one of the most variable of all poison dart frogs. Typically the body is primarily black, with an irregular patter of yellow or white stripes running along the back, flanks, chest, head, and belly. In some morphs, however, the body may be primarily blue, primarily yellow, or primarily white. The legs range from pale blue, sky blue or blue-gray to royal blue, cobalt blue, navy blue, or royal purple and are typically peppered with small black dots. The yellow-backed morph is almost entirely yellow and black, with only a few specks of white on the toes. Another unique morph, the Citronella morph, is primarily golden yellow with tiny splotches of black on its belly and royal blue legs that have no black dots.

Males are typically smaller and more slender than females, but they have larger toe discs. The toe discs of female dyeing poison dart frogs are circular while those of the males are heart-shaped.

Distribution

It exists in discrete patches throughout this region, being restricted to "highland" (up to 350 metres (1,150 ft)) areas. While this species can be found at sea level, these individuals have been collected at the base of nearby hills or mountains. The isolation of populations has presumably occurred as a result of the erosion of these highland areas and the seasonal inundation of the inter-patch areas.

Morphs

The species encompasses a great diversity of color and patterning variants (subspecies and morphs). Some batrachologists suspect that some of these are actually different species.

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  Dendrobates tinctorius morph.

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  Dendrobates tinctorius

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  Dendrobates tinctorius

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Patricia (young female)

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Patricia (male)

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Cobalt (male)

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. New River 'Blue Sipaliwini'

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Regina

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  Dendrobates tinctorius tinctorius

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. 'Citronella'

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Azureus (left) and Dendrobates tinctorius var. Regina (right)

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Regina

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  Dendrobates tinctorius, Suriname.

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  Dendrobates tinctorius var. Powderblue (left) & Epipedobates anthonyi (right)

Etymology

The specific name tinctorius comes, however, not from the variety of colors, but from the way some indigenous tribes use the frogs. They rub them on the skin of young parrots, and the toxifying of the bird's skin causes them to grow feathers of different colors.

References

• Gaucher & MacCulloch (2004). Dendrobates tinctorius. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern